Former European IBM executive joins Opera Software as Chairman of the Board
Oslo, Norway – Nov. 29, 1999
Mr. Christian Thommessen of Glamox AS recently joined Opera software as Chairman of the Board. His international experience in the IT industry and his knowledge of developing companies make him an excellent choice for Opera Software, which is currently undergoing rapid expansion as a company.
Mr. Thommessen was previously employed as the CEO of IBM Norway. In 1995 he was promoted to CEO of the IBM Global Network at the headquarters of IBM Europe, where he was responsible for the development and implementation of IBM’s Internet strategy within Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. Today Mr. Thommessen is employed as the CEO for the Norwegian company Glamox AS, where he has implemented e-business as one of the most important strategic steps for developing the company.
“This is something that I am really looking forward to. Opera Software AS is one of the few companies in Norway that has both the vision and the potential to establish itself as an international player in the internet market,” says Mr. Thommessen. “We have a long way to go, but if we play our cards right, the opportunities are outstanding.”
Opera Software will soon be releasing a number of new versions of its browser. The new Windows version, Opera 4.0 Elektra, is scheduled to be released at the end of this year. Versions of the Opera browser for the Mac, Linux, BeOS, and EPOC operating systems are scheduled to be released soon thereafter.
“We are very happy that Christian Thommessen has chosen to join us in further developing our company,” stated the CEO and co-founder of Opera Software, Jon Stephenson Von Tetzchner. “We are now at a point where we are leaving the startup stage of the company, where the focus has been primarily on technology. We now feel more ready to initiate long term partnerships with strategic companies. In light of these facts, it is an excellent opportunity for us to have an active Chairman on board with both international experience and knowledge of the internet world.”
About Opera Software
Opera Software ASA is an industry leader in the development of Webbrowsers for the desktop and embedded markets, partnering withcompanies such as IBM, AMD, Symbian, Canal+ Technologies, Ericsson,Sharp and Lineo (now a division of Embedix). The Opera browser hasreceived international recognition from end users and the industrypress for being faster, smaller and more standards-compliant than otherbrowsers. Opera is available on Windows, Mac, Linux/Solaris, OS/2,Symbian OS and QNX. Opera Software ASA is a privately held companyheadquartered in Oslo, Norway. Learn more about Opera at www.opera.com.